


a moment to believe

by allthewaydown



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Book 2 Divergence, Drabble, F/M, Fluff, Zutara Drabble December, Zutara falling in love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2020-12-07
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:47:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 1,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27829933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allthewaydown/pseuds/allthewaydown
Summary: a series of book 2 and book 3 divergences that tie into each other for zutara drabble month 2020
Relationships: Katara/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 20
Kudos: 59
Collections: ZK Drabble December 2020





	1. during nightfall

**Author's Note:**

  * For [goldilocks23](https://archiveofourown.org/users/goldilocks23/gifts), [ifyouwereamelody](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ifyouwereamelody/gifts).



> hi friends!! here’s another event for you, something i’ll excel at haha. 
> 
> for zutara drabble december, thanks to princess_zel and antarcticasx for hosting it!

The first time they meet after the Siege of the North was under purple-pink skies and paper lanterns that lit up cobblestone streets of Ba Sing Se. It was the Festival of the Lunar Moon and Katara had felt the pull of the night calling to her. Zuko’s Uncle had convinced him that a night off from work would do well for a sixteen year old boy. They were not meant to meet the way they did. But Katara in her blue dress captivated Zuko as soon as he laid eyes on her. 

She was resentful and reserved, but agreed to be escorted by him in a city they both knew nothing about.

He won her a stuffed badgermole and she won him a gold fish with her bending. 

At the end of the night, they sat on top of a hill and shared the reasons why they were in the Earth Kingdom and how they found themselves at the festival.

The pair walked home separately, still afraid of the consequences, but with the promise to see each other again. 

* * *

The next time they meet, the night has fallen and they are disguised beneath a blue mask and a rice hat, and they perused the alleys. They collected food for the poor, housed animals that needed shelter, and incriminated the robbers and leechers. 

When their tasks were completed, they ran hand in hand and hid beneath a wisteria tree near a lagoon. Katara whispered about Toph’s uncleanliness and Zuko whispered of his Uncle’s stinky feet. They both laughed about Sokka’s unfortunate venture with women. 

They walk home separately again, but the trust has grown and the fear has turned into excitement for their next encounter. 

* * *

When they meet again, Zuko brings Katara to an abandoned altar atop a hill. The pillars were covered in moss and vines and had a clear view of the lower and middle ring of Ba Sing Se. 

They kissed for the first time beneath the clear night sky.

She shares stories of her mother who passed and he shared stories of his mother who disappeared. 

They brought each other the comfort they missed from the loss. 

Zuko walked Katara home and their smiles reached their ears. 

Katara laid in bed and thought of the possibility of falling in love with the Prince of Fire. 

Zuko walked home and thought of the possibility of falling in love with the most powerful waterbender of the generation. 

They both think of the consequences of falling in love with the enemy. 

But somewhere beneath the night sky, they realized that they were more important to each other than the any alliances that they’ve built. 


	2. liars and believers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> zuko and katara weeks before sozin’s comet and questions the realities of their lives

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i have no notes for this one heh, but subtle smut warning tho folks

She sneaks into his room while the others are sleeping, slowly closing the creaky door to avoid waking him. He is wrapped in his red silk blankets and is the picture of peace, but Katara knows of the turmoil that lives in him, in them both. She stalks over to his bed and sits on the edge and watches his chest rise and fall with the timing of her heartbeat.

Their days in Ba Sing Se were months over, and now they face the realities that they so desperately try running from. Sozin’s comet is to arrive in a few weeks and Katara can feel the heaviness in her chest with every day that passes.

She fears the thought of losing her friends, of her brother, of the Prince of Fire who has wound himself around her very being.

But Zuko brings her the peace that she longs for with just a simple smile.

She leans over and runs a shaky hand through his hair and wakes him. He stirs and lets out a moan of frustration, but composes himself when he sees her sitting before him.

“Katara, what are you doing in here?” He asks softly, sitting up and running a thumb over her cheek where a tear unknowingly slid its way from her eye. 

She bites her lip and reaches for him, courage coursing through her like the water that runs through her veins. She presses her lips against his and she tugs on him like the force of gravity the moon has on the ocean.

He feels her urgency and responds to it easily, easing her onto his lap and not questioning the reason behind her actions. They’re both afraid, both longing for a life that is not ruled by a war. 

Zuko runs his fingers through Katara’s hair and she skims her fingers down his bare chest, feeling the heat that burns beneath her fingertips. 

Their clothes fall off and they move together underneath the secrecy of the night, intertwining like sand beneath the ocean, smooth and strong. 

Katara’s tears flow freely as he moves inside her from pleasure or furthered fear, she doesn’t know. Zuko’s fingers brush away her tears and he kisses her like it’s the last time that he will. 

In the back of their minds, they don’t know if it will be. 

“Please don’t lie to me,” she whispers against his lips. “Please tell me we’re going to make it through this fight.”

Zuko tightens his arms around her. 

“I won’t let anything happen to you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please comment! i’d love to hear what you think! follow me on twitter (aallthewaydown), and tumblr (all-thewaydown)! i also love making new friends :’)


	3. goodbye with heavy hearts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi friends!! so remember when i said there was finally an event i could thrive in??? obviously not since WORK DECIDED TO EAT UP ALL MY ENERGY
> 
> but nevertheless we will prosper and i will post days 3-6 in the next few hours.
> 
> EVENT TURNED CHALLENGE I LOVE IT
> 
> also KMQ chap 6 coming out this next week byeeeeeeee

When Zuko first arrived at Ba Sing Se, the last thing he expected to do was fall head over heels for a waterbender. Let alone a waterbender that was his enemy’s greatest ally. But there he stood in the middle of the road and watched her as she walked away and back into the reality that they kept separate from their adventures.

It had been about a month since their first encounter and each time he watched her walk away, the weight in his chest grew heavier and heavier. He longed for the opportunity to be with Katara freely, without judgement or remorse, but he knew there were more obstacles that needed to be jumped before that was possible. 

Their arrangement was simple: each morning, Katara would come up with a reason to visit the markets and Zuko would tell his Uncle that he would be passing out fliers for their tea shop, and they would meet in the middle of the Inner Ring and start their secret escapades.

Everyday was different but everyday was easy. Sometimes they would go to the outdoor zoo and watch the animals wander in their confinement. Other days they found themselves at the university library where Zuko would teach Katara about Fire Nation customs and Katara would teach Zuko about Water Tribe traditions.

But while his days were spent laughing with Katara, falling for Katara, and proving to Katara that she could trust him, he settled for the evenings where he was forced to part with her and say goodbye.

After his mother disappeared, goodbyes came easy to Zuko. Goodbyes were nothing more than an emotionless word that carried little weight and meaning to it. His mother’s goodbye was quick and secretive and Zuko barely remembered it save for the few words she muttered to him. And when his father banished him to seek out the Avatar, Ozai was nowhere to be found on the docks before his ship sailed.

But when Katara muttered the dreaded word, he could feel the same sadness radiate from her that he felt within himself. It was as if they both wished their day didn’t have to end and they did not have to return to the lives that the world knew about.

But reality weighed heavier than daydreams, and the consequences of their relationship would throw balance out of alignment. 

Because when water meets fire, one is always extinguished. 

But as Katara's figure shrank further and further away, Zuko hoped that maybe… in the distant future, water and fire would find the equal balance needed to thrive. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'd love to be friends! let's talk!
> 
> http://all-thewaydown.tumblr.com  
> http://twitter.com/aallthewaydown


	4. blame it on me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> iM SORRY THIS IS LATE AH I NEED TO CATCH UP oN MY DAYS OMG

“You were supposed to keep it a secret!”

“I’m sorry! My Uncle saw the fish in my room and I never learned to lie to him, so it just came out!”

“Zuko, this whole thing depends on us keeping a secret and you completely broke that when you told your uncle about us!”

“Don’t blame it on me! You didn’t have to give into that perfume merchant and spray that smelly perfume all over yourself!”

“Oh, so now it’s my fault that  _ you _ told your uncle that we’ve been meeting with each other?”

“No! I’m saying that we both had a hand in why my Uncle now knows about us and wants to have dinner with you- ow! Katara, don’t hit me!”

“I wouldn’t have to hit you if you weren’t so dumb!”

“Dumb?! I’m sorry I let it slip but I’m not dumb, and he’s super excited to meet the ‘Avatar’s most formidable waterbender friend’.”

“Oh, don’t be smart, you know if I stay out later than I have been they’re going to wonder!”

“Yes, I thought about that so my Uncle settled for lunch- ow! Katara please stop hitting me.”

“You could’ve just told him that I-, I was… I don’t know! A street vendor or something!”

“He’s seen you Katara, he knows exactly who you are. If I lied, it would’ve just caused bigger problems!”

“So now I have to meet your Uncle and potentially expose what we had!”

“Katara, I’m sorry.”

“And it was so good, too.”

“What did you say?”

“What? Nothing, I didn’t say anything.”

“No, you said something about something being good. So, you think what we’re doing is good?”

“I…”

“Okay, blame it on me, telling my uncle was a stupid idea, but please say it again so I know I’m not dreaming.”

“What we have is good, Zuko.”

“You really mean it?”

“Yes, I really mean it. Oh, stop grinning so wide. Objectively, we’re terrible. Hiding from our friends, telling lies to keep our secrets, it’s all going to come out eventually!”

“But, right now, you think we’re good?”

“Yes, Zuko, I think we’re good. I’m so happy and so excited every time a new day starts and every time it ends I feel like…”

“Like it’s a wasted goodbye?”

“Like it’s a wasted goodbye.”

“You know we don’t have to say goodbye…”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know. Nevermind, I don’t know where I was going with that.”

“Maybe one day goodbye will just be… good night.”

“Maybe.”


End file.
